Triple A, Part II
by alynwa
Summary: Denny learns more about Adrienne and Alan's history.  If you heard the name before, I don't own it.  All original characters are mine.
1. Chapter 1

Triple A, Part II

"Alan, that was some story you and Adrienne told today," said Denny as he walked out onto the balcony and took his customary seat. He lit his cigar and watched Alan move to the wall, put his elbows on the parapet and look out over the Boston skyline for a couple of minutes while he sipped his scotch. Denny didn't press when Alan didn't answer right away; he was too secure in their friendship to feel ignored. The two friends remained in their respective positions; one lost in thought and the other, just waiting.

When Alan did turn around, he went back inside and returned with the scotch bottle. He refilled Denny's glass, then his own. He settled into his seat, lit his cigar, blew out a smoke ring and said, "Indeed. I've never told anyone before; I just…lived it. Reliving it today was unsettling but, I'm glad you and Tara know. Maybe knowing explains me a little better to you." Denny quipped, "I knew before today that you weren't raised by Ward and June Cleaver…" Alan snorted, "I wasn't even raised by Dan and Roseanne Connor!" Denny continued, "My point is that I already knew you overcame a lot to get where you are. It is a wonder you're not some type of serial killer. You should be very proud of how you turned out; I know I am."

Alan smiled and lifted his glass to clink against Denny's, "Thank you, my friend." They sat in silence for a while. Suddenly, Denny turned to look at Alan and said, "Hey, you said the Andersons sent you pictures every year." "Yes," Alan answered, "Mrs. Anderson sent the pictures to Adrienne who forwarded them to me. It just seemed easier to let the women handle it. Would you like to see his college graduation picture?" Without waiting for an answer, Alan reached into his pocket and took out his wallet. He reached in between his driver's license and his court ID, slid out a photo and handed it to Denny who held it up so that the light from his office hit it. The picture showed a young man who looked amazingly like Alan but, with light brown soft curly hair, green eyes, a golden cast to his skin and glasses. Denny nodded approvingly and said, as he handed the picture back, "Nice looking kid." Alan smiled, "Thank you, Adrienne and I think so. Since this picture was taken, he's gotten contacts. You know, it feels good to talk to you about Triple A. It's very bizarre to have something this major in your life and not be able to talk about it with your best friend." Denny looked confused, "Triple A?" Alan stood up, stretched and said, "Adrian Alan Anderson. We call him Triple A for short, cuts down on confusion. No one she and I grew up with knows our child's name; hell, they don't know whether it was a boy or girl or stillborn. Adrienne and I are meeting for dinner. Join us." Denny stubbed out his cigar, "Are you sure she won't mind?" Alan had finished his drink and walked into Denny's office to gather his things. He looked over his shoulder at Denny who was now inside and putting his coat on, "It was her idea. She wants to get to know you better and vice-versa." Denny smiled broadly and said, "I _knew_ she wanted me!"

Denny and Alan arrived at Legal Seafood just as Adrienne was stepping out of a cab. Alan and Adrienne kissed tenderly and hugged. Alan was mildly surprised that Adrienne allowed Denny to kiss her cheek and hug her and not at all surprised when he saw her easily sidestep Denny's wandering hands. They walked into the restaurant and were seated immediately. They ordered drinks and just relaxed for a few minutes while they looked over the menu. After the waiter returned to take their dinner orders, Denny looked at Adrienne and remarked, "Alan tells me it was your idea to ask me to join you two. First, thank you for that and second, why do you want to get to know me?"

Adrienne sipped her wine and smiled. "You're welcome. Well, you found out today that I exist and Alan and I speak every year on Triple A's birthday. I, on the other hand, have known of your existence in Alan's life for some time. Alan and I speak several times a year. No matter what time of the year it is, your name always comes up in conversation. I can hear the smile in Alan's voice when he's talking about you and what you said, what advice you gave or what the two of you have been up to in and out of court. I was curious about you. You and I are members of the same extremely exclusive club: The People Alan Loves Unconditionally Club. Right now, there's _only_ a two member roster. I want to know the other person is his world. Alan is…he's so… _important _to me that his being the father of my child is the _least_ of what he is." Alan grinned and looked slightly embarrassed while Denny replied, "_Two _member roster? What about Tara?" Adrienne smirked, "What _about _Tara? He cares about her and he's used to her but, _loves _her? Unconditionally? I don't think so but, he is sitting right here. Let's ask. Alan, you want to disagree with me? Are you in love with her?"

Alan looked at her knowingly and answered, "I thought this dinner was so that you and Dennycould become better acquainted. How did I get to be the subject of the conversation?" Adrienne laughed, "Denny opened the door on that subject, not me." Denny said, "Well, let me change the question: Are you in love with Alan?" Adrienne sipped her drink, smiled at them both and said, "Fair question. No, I'm not in love with Alan. I love him and he loves me. That will never change. I am his childhood best friend and mother of his child. Alan and I went through so much at such a young age; we're like two sides of the same coin. Together but, not together. We love each other totally and completely. I believe we always will. We are each other's family, as I suspect, you two are."

It was then that their meals arrived; steak and lobster tail for Denny, lobster for Alan and shrimp for Adrienne. Alan and Adrienne split a bottle of Pinot Grigio while Denny had a zinfandel. Alan was pleased that Denny and Adrienne were getting along. Denny seemed enthralled with her knowledge of weaponry and martial arts. He was fascinated that she earned six figures annually hunting down fugitives. Alan was more than content to sit back, eat his meal and watch and listen while his friends bonded. They were having such a grand time in fact, they decided to go to a nearby pub to continue their conversation over after dinner drinks.

"My goodness, are you guys _ever _sober? Adrienne wondered, "Scotch before dinner, wine with dinner, Irish coffee after dinner…" Denny glanced over, "Does it bother you?" She grinned, "No, I rather like it. When I'm actively hunting, I can't drink because I never know when or where I'm going to see who I'm looking for. I have to be ready to fight at a moment's notice. Being unprepared in my line of work could get me hurt, or worse." Alan winced slightly and opened his mouth but, Adrienne held up her hand and looked him squarely in the eyes, "Alan, please don't start with me. We're having a good time." He shrugged his shoulders and said nothing. Adrienne rubbed his arm and said, "Sorry." She looked at Denny and continued, "Suffice it to say, Alan is concerned that I'm still doing my job because I'm not 25 anymore. He wants me to quit and do something else. I will, someday, just not now. It's the only thing we've disagreed about in years."

Denny exchanged looks with both of them and said, "OK, I'll bite. What was the last thing you two disagreed about?" He didn't get an answer, at first, so he ventured, "Have you forgotten?" At that, they both shook their heads, "Oh, no, trust me; we remember," Alan said, "it almost destroyed us." Adrienne said, "We were fighting about our son."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter II

"After I was released from the hospital, it was all so surreal: I was no longer pregnant, there was no child to show for it and Alan and I were kind of lost, you know? The few people we did speak to had no idea what to say to us, so they said nothing. _We_ said nothing. It was almost like the whole thing hadn't happened. The only thing we could think to do was to bury ourselves in school work. _That _we could control. Both of us had always been very good students. After we signed away our rights to Adrian, we became over achievers. Alan was valedictorian of his class, I was valedictorian of mine. He was two years ahead of me in school so of course, he graduated first. He had been accepted to a few schools but, University of Massachusetts offered him a full scholarship plus some other perks he couldn't refuse. I knew once he left, he was never coming back. I was so thrilled for him and so devastated for myself because I was going to be without him for the first time since I was nine years old."

Alan ordered another round of Irish coffees and picked up the narrative. "After Adrienne came home from the hospital, I felt a distance between us and I didn't like it but, I didn't know what to do about it. Nothing was wrong and everything was wrong. So, I just got deeper into my school work. After I got my acceptance letter from UMass, I invited Adrienne out to dinner. It was during that dinner that Adrienne asked me why I never mentioned our son. The truth was: I was afraid to talk about him. I would get choked up just thinking about him. I _missed _him in a way I didn't think was possible. Adrienne always seemed so strong. I didn't realize she was waiting for me to say something and when I didn't, she thought it was because I wanted to put it all, including her, behind me. I apologized for not understanding and I told her that she would always be a part of my life and because of the agreement we had with the Andersons, Triple A would be, too. We talked until the sun came up. After we reconnected that night, I was unsure about leaving for college but, she insisted that I had to go. She really was stronger than I was back then. She said if I didn't go, we gave our son away for nothing and she couldn't accept that. So, I left Dedham."

Denny asked Adrienne, "Where are you staying while you're in Boston?" Adrienne was a little taken aback and replied, "I'm staying at the Onyx. Are you ready to call it a night, Denny?" "Absolutely not! I want to hear this entire story but, I'm getting tired. I want to invite you to a sleepover at my house with Alan and me so we can all get comfortable. We'll take you to your hotel to pick up some things. We'll get in front of the fireplace in the living room and have hot chocolate. It will all be very chaste unless," Denny leaned closer and leered, "you want it to be otherwise." Alan's eyes narrowed, "Denny…be respectful," he warned. "Don't worry, Alan, I'm not offended," Adrienne said, "and yes, Denny, I would love to come and hang out with you two. You just need to remember that I am quite good at breaking things on men. Actually, I'm also quite good at breaking things _off _men if they get too close to me uninvited." Denny's eyes popped in mock fear and he looked at Alan, who was on the phone with Denny's chauffeur, and said, "She's a tough one! I'd hate to have her hit me!" Alan clicked his phone shut and said, "You have no idea."

Denny grunted as he settled into his favorite living room chair. Alan and Adrienne sat together on the couch. They had picked up her things from the hotel, changed into their pajamas when they got to Denny's and now each had a steaming mug of hot chocolate with mini-marshmallows. Denny looked from one to the other, Alan with his nightshirt and pointed sleep hat on his head and Adrienne with her feet tucked under her body. _My God, they _both _look like kids. Damn, I'm old._

Denny finished his hot chocolate, put the cup down and rubbed his hands together. "All right," Denny said, "Alan left for school. Then, what happened?" Adrienne spoke up first. "I'm going to short-hand a lot of this. Alan was gone. I was on my way to being the class valedictorian. The Andersons were true to our agreement and sent photos to me every six months. After Alan left, I forwarded his copies to him at school. We would call each other but, he had a whole other life going on so, the calls were few and far between. When Triple A's first birthday came around, Alan called." She rubbed his arm affectionately. Alan caught her hand and kissed it softly, then placed it back on his arm.

"After that, I called Adrienne every year on Triple A's birthday. Fast forwarding some more: Adrienne accepted a full scholarship to Northwestern University. How she became a federal bounty hunter is a fascinating story that we will leave for another time." Adrienne laughed out loud, "Good, because otherwise, we would be up all night!" Alan smiled, "Indeed. Moving forward again: Adrienne is a bounty hunter and I'm an attorney. When I was 30 and Adrienne was 28, she was in the Boston area and called to say hi. I had been married for three years at that point. She had been at my wedding, of course, but that was the last time I had seen her. I invited her to the house for dinner. My wife called to say she was running about two hours late, so I told her not to worry about making anything, we would just order take out. I told Adrienne it was just as well because I wanted to discuss something with her that I hadn't even broached with Cathy."

Adrienne continued the story from there. "I had no idea what he wanted to discuss with me. You could have knocked me down with a feather when he said he wanted us to reveal ourselves to Triple A. You see, Denny, we knew him through the progress reports and pictures we were getting every year but, he didn't know us at all. He knew he was adopted; what he didn't know then was that it was a private adoption and that his parents were in touch with his bio-parents. We had agreed that information wouldn't be shared with him until he was 22 years old. At that time, he was only fourteen. I was stunned, and then I got angry. Really, _really_ angry."

"_Alan, what the hell are you saying? We can't do that!" Alan knew this wasn't going to be an easy sell. He hadn't even planned to talk about it tonight but, with Cathy not getting home before 8, he figured it was now or never. So, he took a deep breath and calmly started to present his argument._

"_Adrienne, we're not kids anymore. We've finished our education; we're out of Dedham! I just got hired at Howard and Brock for a quarter of a million dollars a year, for God's sake! You told me you earned $75,000 last _month for one collar! _We didn't even dream this big when we were growing up! When we got pregnant with Triple A, we had nothing to offer and it wouldn't have been fair to him to bring him up in poverty. You were right; the best thing we could have done for him was give him up for adoption. But now, we can…"_

"_We can what, Alan?" Adrienne was so agitated, she had gotten off the couch they were sitting on and started pacing around Alan's living room like a caged lioness. "We can what; turn his life upside down? Usurp his parents' authority and responsibility? For what purpose?" Alan replied, "I want to see him. We can do things for him, now! We could maybe buy a car for him when he gets his license or send him on a trip to Europe. Or…why are you looking at me like that?" Adrienne was leaning against the wall separating the dining room from the living room staring at Alan like he was under a microscope._

_After a few seconds, she said, "This isn't about Triple A and what he might need; this is about you and your ego, Alan." He shook his head and repeated, "I want to see him. My ego has nothing to do with it." "Yes, it does. I dunno, maybe it's because you fathered a child you couldn't provide for at the time but, this is all about you." Alan shot up from the couch and came to stand directly in front of Adrienne. Now he was angry, "How dare you say that to me! I was willing to get a job and stay! You're the one who couldn't wait to get rid of hi…" Alan was cut off by Adrienne's right fist connecting with his jaw and knocking him back so that he tripped over one of the dining room chairs and fell to the floor._

"_Omigod! Oh, God! Alan!" Adrienne went to Alan's side and knelt beside him. Alan laid there looking up at her in shock while holding the side of his face with his left hand. Adrienne was sobbing, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry" over and over. Alan sat up still holding his face and whispered, "I feel sorry for any fugitive who wants to duke it out with you. I deserved that, Adrienne. I didn't mean what I was saying, it just…came out." Adrienne just cried harder. Finally, she regained some composure, helped Alan up and put the chair back where it belonged. They both went to the couch and sat. She looked at Alan and said softly, "I won't blame you if you don't forgive me or want to see me again. But, I'm begging you to please listen to me: Adrian is fourteen years old. That means he thinks his parents don't understand him, they're unfair when they make him do his homework or come home too early when he wants to hang out with his friends. And, that's fine; he's a normal teenager with normal parents, it's to be expected._

"_You're right, Alan, we make a boatload of money and we'll only earn more in the future. The Andersons make more than enough to provide a comfortable home but, nowhere near what either one of us earns. If we were to reveal ourselves now, Triple A would play us against them." Alan interjected, "You don't know that!" "Yes, I do. And you know why I know? Because he's fourteen! If a rich relative showed up when you were fourteen with the ability to take you out of the hell you lived in, what would you have done, huh? Alan, I cannot, I will not allow you to make us the stick Adrian uses to beat the Andersons. When you were fourteen, you were raped. When I was fourteen, I was pregnant, Adrian deserves a better fourteen than either of us had. The Andersons agreed to our demands and never reneged. We gave our word we would not interfere; we can't go back on it. They don't deserve that."_

_Alan leaned his head back and gazed at the ceiling. He lolled his head in Adrienne's direction, sighed and said, "OK, Adrienne, I will continue to honor our agreement with the Andersons. I never thought you would hit me, Adrienne, and you did but, I forgive you. I know you never would have done it if I hadn't suggested we break our promise. I didn't mean to provoke you. Maybe it _was _my ego wanting to be stroked but, I promise you, we won't ever have this conversation again and you don't have to worry about me going behind your back."_

_Adrienne nodded and stood up, "Please give my apologies to Cathy. Tell her something came up and I had to leave." Alan walked her to the front door. Just before he reached to open it, Adrienne took hold of his arm and turned him to face her. "Alan, do you still love me?" Alan hugged her, kissed her forehead and said, "Always."_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter III

Denny looked from one to the other in amazement. "Adrienne, you actually…_punched Alan in the face?_" Adrienne looked down, sighed, "Yes, I did," and then looked straight at Alan. "I have never forgiven myself for doing that; it's my one regret, my _only _regret. I was so ashamed when I left that evening, that I didn't call Alan and I had made up my mind that if he never called me again, I would accept it. Time went by and on Triple A's fifteenth birthday, he called me."

Alan reached over and put his arm around Adrienne's shoulders and pulled her closer. He looked at Denny and said, "When she realized it was me, she said she was surprised I called and when I said, 'Why? It's our son's birthday,' she started crying." Adrienne smiled at the memory and added, "I think I scared him. Everything he said to calm me only made me cry harder. Denny, you have to understand, I hardly ever cry. Alan cries more than I do. I was so certain I had lost his friendship that when he said, 'I _told _you I forgave you that night,' I just lost it. After I pulled myself together, we had a really wonderful conversation; and since then, our relationship has been normal or at least, what passes for normal with us!" Adrienne looked at her watch and exclaimed, "Good grief, it's after 11:00! I have appointments in the morning and I hear you like to be in the office at some ungodly early hour, Denny, so I'm going to bed."

Denny stood up and stretched, "I think we are all going to bed. I had the staff prepare the guest room next to my bedroom for you; unless, of course, you would rather sleep with me?" "Denny! I told you to knock it off!" Alan sounded annoyed. Denny looked properly chastised, "I'm sorry." Adrienne came over to him and kissed him on his cheek and purred, "As tempting as that invitation sounds, Denny, I would never attempt to replace Alan in your bed." Denny was shocked, "You…you know that Alan and I sleep together?" Adrienne laughed and started walking to the stairs, "Alan tells me _everything_, Denny!" The two men followed her. When she got to the top of the stairs, Alan hugged her good night and Denny directed her to her door. "I'll be ready to leave no later than 6:30, guys. Sleep well."

"Alan, are you still awake?" Alan opened his eyes; his head was on Denny's chest and he could barely see Denny in the dark. He closed his eyes, "No. Leave a message." Denny grunted his disapproval, "I want to ask you something. Do you see yourself ever getting back together with Adrienne?" The silence that followed stretched out so long, Denny thought Alan had fallen asleep but then he answered, "Honestly, I don't know; if that were to happen, it wouldn't be anytime soon. So much would have to change for me to even consider it. I'm sure she would say the same thing. We traveled the same road for years but after Triple A was born, our paths veered away from each other. Who knows, maybe one day our paths will come together again. In the meantime, when I was in law school, I fell in love with a woman who loved me but, not enough. I wanted her, I really did but, she wanted me to stop all communication with Adrienne, period. Denny, instead of appreciating why she might feel that way, I simply told her that wasn't going to happen and the subject wasn't open for discussion. When she continued to argue the point, I walked out on her. When I started dating Cathy, I told Adrienne that it felt like real love, she told me then I had to pursue it. No one was happier for me when we got engaged than Adrienne. No one was there for me when Cathy died like Adrienne. I can't imagine my life without her in it. I am so grateful that you two like each other." Alan could feel Denny puff up under him as he retorted, "Why _wouldn't _she like me? I'm _Denny Crane!"_ Alan chuckled and settled into Denny's body, "And on _that _happy note, goodnight."

Alan came downstairs a few minutes before Denny to find Adrienne fully dressed and having coffee in the dining room. He walked over to her, hugged her good morning, poured some coffee for himself and sat at the table. "Would you like some breakfast, Adrienne?" he asked. "No, thanks, I have a breakfast meeting with a bail bondsman at 8. So listen, Alan. How do you want to handle our meeting with Adrian? First, I thought we should meet for drinks but, I don't want to give him the wrong impression. Then, I thought we should meet for dinner but, what if he doesn't want to spend that much time with us? Then I thought…" Alan interrupted, "You sound like a nervous wreck!" "I am! Aren't you?" Alan chewed his bottom lip, "Well, I wasn't before but, thank you for making me nervous now." Just then, Denny walked in, briefcase in hand, "What's making you nervous, Alan?"

"Adrienne's worried about Triple A getting the 'wrong impression' about us and now, I am, too. Face it, Denny, I'm weird." Denny poured some coffee into a travel mug and snorted, "Yes, you _are_ weird but, I'm sure this kid of yours will like you anyway. The car is outside. Are we ready?"

"I am," answered Adrienne. As they gathered their things and walked out the front door, she added, "I need to go to my hotel first. After my meetings this morning, I plan to call Adrian. I got his number from his mother when she called to say he wanted to meet us. Do you want to be there when I call?" Alan unbuttoned his suit jacket and slid into the back seat next to Adrienne, "No, no, you handle it. Whatever arrangements the two of you make will be fine with me. Call me after 4:30 and tell me what the deal is." Denny sat down next to Alan. "Chicken!" Adrienne and Denny said simultaneously and then laughed. Alan flushed slightly and muttered under his breath, "Thanks, I love you, too." Louder, he said, "Let's go to work, shall we?" Denny smiled as the car started to move and gave his battle cry, "Lock and load!"


End file.
